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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · wake · stand · leaves · shower · straw · spring · press

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — of water
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stand — to bear
  13. press — to push
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — the season
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. press — newspapers
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com